O-glycosylation in Echinococcus granulosus: identification and characterization of the carcinoma-associated Tn antigen.
|
| Abstract |
In the present work we demonstrate that the cancer-associated O-glycosylated Tn antigen (GalNAc-O-Ser/Thr) is expressed by the cestode Echinococcus granulosus. This antigen was detected in both larval and adult worm extracts, with the highest specific activity observed in the adult excretion/secretion preparation. Histochemical analysis showed that Tn is preferentially expressed in the parenchyma in both parasite stages and the external part of tegument in adult worms. A similar pattern was observed for sialyl-Tn, a related O-linked antigen. Tn glycoproteins from protoscoleces were resolved by SDS-PAGE in two main components of 43 and 49 kDa. After purification, this material was reactive with lectins which bind GlcNAc/sialic acid, GalNAc, and T antigen. In a preliminary evaluation, high levels of Tn antigen were detected in serum samples from patients with hydatid cyst, suggesting that the measure of Tn in serum could be a biomarker of this disease, although extensive work is necessary in order to determine the clinical usefulness of this assay. The results reported here, the first evidence of O-glycosylation pathways in E. granulosus and the presence of Tn antigen in cestodes, suggest that the evaluation of O-glycosylated antigens might give new insights in the host-parasite relationship.
|
|---|---|
| Authors | D Alvarez Errico, A Medeiros, M Míguez, C Casaravilla, R Malgor, C Carmona, A Nieto, E Osinaga |
| Journal | Experimental parasitology (Exp Parasitol) Vol. 98 Issue 2 Pg. 100-9 (Jun 2001) ISSN: 0014-4894 [Print] United States |
| PMID | 11465993 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't) |
| Copyright | Copyright 2001 Academic Press. |
| Chemical References |
|
| Topics |
|
Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!